Boggart

The Boggart is most commonly found in the counties of Yorkshire and Lancashire, its name appears in places such as Boggart’s Clough and Boggart’s Hole in Lancashire. Boggarts were mischievous spirits responsible for mishaps and poltergeist activity within the home and in the countryside. They would rearrange furniture, break pots and generally be blamed for ‘things that go bump in the night’.

They were often found attached to families and could be helpful within the household until they were insulted in some way. Boggarts had the ability to shape-shift, and sometimes appeared in the form of animals. If offerings were left out for them they would not cause trouble.

The supposed ghosts of people were also called Boggarts, and the word may be have been used to explain any strange phenomena in the past. An outbreak of poltergeist activity on a farm above Oldham in Lancashire was attributed to a Boggart and there are several such stories, some of which we will outline in the future.